Planograph co



E. SCHNEIDER. FIELD GUN CARRIAGE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31,- 1919;

1,3 1 1 ,77 8. I Patented J l 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- THE COLUMBIA FLANUGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. SCHNEIDER.

FIELD GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3|. l9l9.

1,31 1 ,778. I Patented July 29, 1919.

2 $HEEIS-SHEET 2- THE COLUMBlA PLANOGRAFH co-, WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNlTED sra rns PATENT ornron.

ENGENE sonnninnn,

1,311,778. 7 Original application filed July-3, 1916, Serial No.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

107,392. ivided-and this application filed or, rams, assrcnon r0 scnnnrnnn & cm, or Prints, 1,, v FRANCE.

' L FIELD-GU CARRIAGE.

March 31,

1919. Serial 110,286,481.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE Sonnnrnnn, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Paris, France, have invented a new and useful Field-Gun Carriage, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification. 1

1 In my application Serial No. 107,392, filed July .3, 1916, of which the present application is a division, I have described and claimed a gun carriage in which there is a gun-supporting frame mounted .to rotate about a vertical axis on a lower carriage the gun with reference to fixed base lines or points, or for indirect aiming, therebyavoiding'the necessity of taking a fresh sight for firing at any predetermined target within a given sector of horizontal range.

The present invention relates to a constructional form of the invention originally shown and described in. my above applicae tion but not now specifically claimed therein,

and comprises a "gun carriage having an upper gun-supporting frame mounted to" turn on a'lower carriage frame and a special frame adjustable in respect to the gun-supporting frame, and also movable with the latter and adapted to receive a sighting device the longitudinal axis of which is arthrough the vertical axis of rotation of the upper gun-supporting frame and, when prolonged, to pass through some selected sighting point, becomes a, base line or auxiliary ighting line on which the sighting device is to be maintained during firing at any particular target.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a gun carriage partly in vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 2 embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1', and

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the use of a field gun carriage provided with my imrovements.

Referring to the drawings, A is a slide or cradle on which the gun barrel is mounted so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally therein. The cradle A is journaled on trunnions in the upper mountains B-BB of fork or stirrup shape, whose circular base bracket arm formed in the curved axle.

is provided with a B is adapted to revolve about a virtual vertical axis 0 on a concentric guide C of the lower carriage OCC. This lower carriage comprises a curved axle D 1138' centerof curvature in a virtual vertical axis O which is the common center-of the base B of the upper mounting and of the guide C. C p 1 The uppermounting BB-B in pivot-. mg aboutits virtual aXisO, bears in front upon the curved axle D and at the rear upon the guide O formed on the head of the. lower carriage C-C with which the carriage trail G forms .onepiece. As shown, the trail C is provided with an anchoring .plate .11 provided with any suitable means permitting the trail to be adjusted transversely for correcting deviations from the line of aim'due to successive firing; The training, mechanism for the upper gun-carriage mounting -B-B'B comprises a hand-wheel Ppfixed on a shaft p journaled in the upper :mountingv which actuates, through gearing pp -p -ptp 6 a pinion Q is .a pinion carried by upper mounting and engages circularrack of whichjcarries a graduated scale from Patented July 29, 1919.

having Y y the which the various training angles can be read. g

G is a sighting device mounted on a F, S the lower end of which is made fast by a screw-stud s to a circular rack T concentric to and movable in the curved axle D. The stud s moves in a slot The circular two series of rack teeth, namely, 2? engaged by the pinion Q, of the upper mounting, and the external teeth 23. By means of the external teeth 25 the circular rack T with bracket arm S, F can be shifted along the hollow axle around the virtual axis of pivotation O. For this purrack T has internal teeth axle U journaled in frame C. This axle wheel N mounted on an the lower carriage sidebevel gear a the train a, a a o, '0 and worm through the external rack t,'moves the V engaging rack T.

It will be readily perceived that the motion imparted by the hand-wheel N to the circular rack T, will be transmitted through the internal teeth t to the pinion Q, which is D 1 O 0 which,

rendered stationary by any suitable known automa c jamm ng de ce not shown, and consequently to the entire structu1-econst1 i tuted by the upper mounting and the gun barrel carried by the latter. I L

The training movements imparted by the hand-wheel P will in no way affect the positron of the circular rack T, nor that of the bracket F for the sighting apparatus. The arrangement thus provides also means having an independent line of sight in the horizontal plane.

The device thus far described operates as follows: Referring to diagramrFig. 3 before firing at given targets, the angles'a B, B, B are measured by a theodolite or other anglemeasuring device. The lower carriage hav ing been brought into position and anchored point m (Fig. 3) so as to cover a sec- -w -X -O, then indirect firing is aimed upon any given target Y situated at any point of the sector by placing the sightingapparatus G- on the bracket F and training the gun by' sighting continuously any given auxiliary sighting point Z along the line O-Z, which incloses a constant angle a with a fixed directing line such as the line O:0 bisecting the angle subtended by the arc X-a2 X. The angular relations of the lines of sight of the targets Y, Y Y to the base line Ow as previously measured y any suitable means, and the values 0:"B, aB xfB which give the" angular displacement of these lines of sight Witlrthe fixed directing-line of sight determined. The upper mounting B-B B is now successively trained by operatingtraining wheel P about axis 0 on the lower carriage as indicated by theva'lve's ozB, The

Copies of this patent ma'y be obtained for five cents each by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl.

, Washington, D. G.

angle of fire required to hit targets Y,

a sighting.

Y Y is thus obtained indirectly without the necessity of taking a fresh sight for fir.-

the target is changed.

Should the firing cause a deviation from the correct training line, this error is cor rected by adjusting the lower carriage trail across its anchoring-spade plate I-I.

What is claimed is s 1. In afield gun carriage, the combination of a lower carriage frame having a curved wheeled axle portion, a curved track movable along said curved axle and provided with a bracket ar'm adapted to receive a sighting device, an upper gun-supporting frame supported on said lower frame and having operating connections with said track for training the gun about a center common axle and curved track, and means for shifting said track to keep the sight of said sighting device set along a pre determined base or auxiliary sighting line through said common center.

' 2. In a field gun carriage, the combination of a lower carriage frame having a curved wheeled axle portion, a curved rack having internal and external gear teeth and movable along said curved axle, a bracket arm adapted-to receive a sighting device fast to said rack, an upper gun-supporting frame supported on said lower frame and having gear connections with said rack for training the gun about a center common to said axle and rack, and ma'nua'lly-operated gear means on said lower frai'ne engaging said rack for keeping the sight of said sighting device set along a predetermined base or auxiliary sighting line through said common center.

In testimony whereofl have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER. 

